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enUEFA Europa League Wrap: Mainz sent crashing outMainz were eliminated in the third qualifying round of the UEFA Europa League, while Hull City survived a scare on Thursday.http://www.fourfourtwo.com/news/uefa-europa-league-review-mainz-crash-out-hull-survive-scare
Bundesliga outfit Mainz let slip a 1-0 first-leg lead as they succumbed to a 3-1 defeat at Greek side Asteras Tripolis in the return fixture to suffer the ignominy of an early exit.
Kasper Hjulmand'smen appeared set to go through after Koo Ja-cheol cancelled out Pablo de Blasis' opener.
However, a second-half double from striker Pablo Mazza settled the tie in the hosts' favour.
Hull, meanwhile, were grateful to a late goal from substitute Sone Aluko, the forward finding the net 10 minutes from time to give the Premier League side a 2-1 success versus Trencin after a 0-0 draw in theirfirst leg.
Captain Xabi Prieto scored twice as Real Sociedad beat Aberdeen 3-2 in a thrilling game at Pittodrie, earning a 5-2 aggregate win capped by MarkelBergara's injury-time strike.
Celtic, who will feature in theEuropa League play-off roundfollowing their exit from the Champions League, are the only Scottish side remaining in Europeafter St Johnstone went down 3-2 on aggregate toSpartak Trnava, having drawnthe second leg 1-1.
PSV progressed in unconvincing manner, the 1978 winners overcoming St Polten 3-2 in Austria to win the tie 4-2.
However, there were no such difficulties for Club Brugge or Torino, who each sailed through in emphatic fashion.
Brugge went through 5-0 on aggregate with a 2-0 success at Brondby, and Torino crushed Brommapojkarna of Sweden4-0 to win7-0 acrosstwo legs.
Brommapojkarna's Allsvenskan rivals Gothenburg – two-timewinners ofthe UEFA Cup– and AIK were also knocked out, but Elfsborg progressed 5-3 on aggregate despite losing 2-1 to FH.
In-demand Lyon striker Alexandre Lacazette was on target as the French side progressed 6-2 on aggregate by beating Mlada Boleslav 2-1.
Young Boys' 2-0 win at 10-man Ermis secured a 3-0 aggregate success, with the hosts' misery encapsulated by defender Paulinho's red card a minute into the second half.
Dinamo Moscow came from behind to earn a 2-1 victory at HapoelIroni Kiryat Shmona, winning the tie 3-2, but Cluj will go no further after a 2-0 home loss to Dinamo Minsk saw them go out3-0 on aggregate.
There was better fortune for Cluj's Romanian compatriots Petrolul, who qualified by an aggregate score of 5-2 after a 4-1 hammering of Viktoria Plzen.
Both RNK Split and Hajduk Split progressed on a strong night for Croatian teams that also saw Rijeka win 4-0 and 9-1 on aggregate against Vikingur.
Lech Poznan exited the competition after they were held to a goalless home draw by Stjarnan, which sealed a 1-0 aggregate loss. However, Ruch Chorzow went through on away goals with a 2-2 draw at Esbjerg.
Karabukspor qualified in similar fashion with a 1-1 draw at Rosenborg;Krasnodar cruised through against Diosgyor and Shakhtyor eliminated Zulte Waregem.
Elsewhere, Zorya, Astra, Neftci, Zimbru, Omonia Nicosia and Sarajevo all ensured their respective places in the next round.
news_articleThu, 07 Aug 2014 21:52:21 +0000226726 at http://www.fourfourtwo.comUEFA Europa League: Hull aim to avoid early exitHull City will be out to avoid a premature end to their maiden UEFA Europa League campaign when they host Trencin on Thursday.http://www.fourfourtwo.com/news/uefa-europa-league-preview-hull-aim-avoid-early-exit-big-names-defend-first-leg-leads
The Premier League outfitwere unable to mark their European debut with a victory in thefirst legof their third-qualifying-roundtie last week,when they were held to a goalless draw at the Stadion Pod DubnominZilina.
The result, which would have been different had Tom Huddlestone not fired over from point-blank range after seeing apenalty saved, made Hull the only team from Europe's big five leagues to fail to register a victory last week.
However, Steve Bruce's menremainstrong favourites to progress at the expense ofthe Slovakian side ahead of the second leg and will be relishing the opportunity to join the likes of Inter, Tottenham and Villarreal in the play-off round.
Many of the third qualifying round's biggestnames are on course to progress from their respective ties.
Italian outfit Torino - making their return to top-level European competition after a 20-year absence -were 3-0 winners when they visited Brommapojkarna of Sweden, so will be satisfied that they have more than one foot in the next stage.
Lyon will be similarly confident when they defenda 4-1 advantage over Mlada Boleslav in France, while Real Sociedad take a 2-0 lead to Aberdeen.
Mainz are by no means assured of their place in the play-off round after only mustering a 1-0 win over Asteras Tripolis of Greece on home soil, and1978 UEFA Cup champions PSV will defendthe same scoreline inAustria againstSt Polten.
Chikhura's Mikheil Meskhi Stadium will not be at full capacity as they look to edge past Neftci after UEFA handed down a partial closure of the ground following a racist incident in the previous round'sfirst-leg clash with Bursaspor. Chikhura and Neftci are tied at 0-0 following the first leg.
Two teams who were in the group stage of this competition last year face an uphill struggle to repeat that feat this time around, with Chornomorets trailing Split 2-0 and Zulte Waregem 5-2 down against Shakhtyor.
Krasnodar, Omonia Nicosia, Astra, Elfsborg, Club Brugge and Rijeka all appear set to securea place in the next round after picking up some of the biggest wins in the first-leg matches.
But thereis all to play for in eight of Thursday's 29 ties, including the games involving Hull and Chikhura,where the teams could not be separated in their initial clashes.
Elsewhere, Spartak Trnava lead St Johnstone 2-1, Stjarnan hold a 1-0 advantage over Lech Poznan, Atromitos return to Greece 2-1 up against Sarajevo, and Zimbru are in control of their clash with Grodig - leading 2-1.
Young Boys are a goal to the good as they head to Cyprus to face Ermis, CFR Cluj are a goal down against Dinamo Minsk, Rio Ave are 1-0 up againstGothenburg, and Shakhter Karagandy hold a 4-2 advantage over Hajduk Split.
news_articleTue, 05 Aug 2014 16:44:16 +0000225280 at http://www.fourfourtwo.comUEFA Europa League Wrap: Torino return in styleTorino put one foot in the UEFA Europa League play-off round with a comprehensive 3-0 victory over Brommapojkarna in Sweden.http://www.fourfourtwo.com/news/uefa-europa-league-review-torino-mark-return-big-win-lyon-victorious
Having waited 20 years for their return to European football, the Serie A side assumed total control of their third qualifying round tie with three away goals.
Marcelo Larrondo opened the scoring just before half-time with a well-taken penalty after Pontus Segerstrom was dismissed for upending Giuseppe Vives.
The Argentinian striker added a second eight minutes after the break and Barreto put them in total control in the 58th minute.
Brommapojkarna were handed a way back into the match when Vives was shown red for a foul on Serge Martinsson-Ngouali inside the penalty area, but Dardan Rexhepi missed the subsequent spot-kick to leave Torino in total control of the tie.
A Kehinde Fatai hat-trick saw Romanian side Astra beat Slovan Liberec 3-0, while Omonia Nicosia matched that scoreline at home to Metalurg in Cyprus.
Three-goal winning margins were popular on Thursday as Elsfborg and Lyon both recorded 4-1 victories of FH and Mlada Boleslav, while Rijeka and Krasnodar went one better as they beat Vikingur and Diosgyor 5-1.
PSV, winners of the competition in its former guise of the UEFA Cup in 1978, started their campaign with a solid 1-0 victory over St Polten thanks toLuuk de Jong, while two-time winners IKF Gothenburg lost by the same score to Primeira Liga side Rio Ave.
Dinamo Minsk, Young Boys, Mainz and Stjarnanall won their respectivematches 1-0,while Shakhter Karagandy beat Hajduk Split 4-2 in Kazakhstan.
Late goals rescued 1-1 draws for Molde and Viktoria Plzen, but Dinamo Moscow and AIK will be disappointed to be held by Ironi Kiryat Shmona and Astana.
Real Sociedad and Split gave themselves a good cushion for their return matches next week with 2-0 triumphs, while Spartak Trnava and Zimbru conceded late goals against Grodig and StJohnstone as they won 2-1 away from home.
Shakhtyor can begin preparing for a play-off place after producing a stunning performance in Belgium to beat 10-man Zulte-Waregem 5-2, but Brondby were not so lucky as goals from Oscar Duarte, Nicolas Castillo and Victor Vazquez gave Club Brugge a 3-0 triumph.
Meanwhile, Evangelos Nastos struck Atromitos' second goal of the game in Bosnia-Herzegovina as they beat Sarajevo 2-1
Hull City's first foray into Europe ended in a goalless draw against Trencin, although things could have been much different had Tom Huddlestone not missed a second-half penalty.
The Premier League side battled out one of four goalless draws around Europe as Rosenborg, Esbjerg and Chikhura held Karabukspor, Ruch Chorzow and Neftci respectively.
news_articleThu, 31 Jul 2014 21:28:39 +0000222281 at http://www.fourfourtwo.comUEFA Europa League: Torino return after 20 yearsTorino make a return to the major European stage on Thursday when they face Brommapojkarna in the UEFA Europa League third qualifying round.http://www.fourfourtwo.com/news/uefa-europa-league-preview-torino-return-europe-after-20-year-absence
The Italian outfit reached the final of this competition in its previous guise of the UEFA Cup in 1992,before going down on away goals to Ajax.
They played in the Intertoto Cup third round back in 2002 butlast featured ina top-levelEuropean competition when being edged outin a UEFA Cup Winners' Cup quarter-final against Arsenal in 1994.
Tony Adams' goalproved the only difference that day as Arsenal progressed 1-0 on aggregate, and Torinohave failed to grace the European stage ever since.
It has been a tumultuous period for the Turin club in that time -plagued by financial troubles, they havebouncedbetween the top two tiers in Italy and remainin the shadows of their illustrious neighbours Juventus.
Thursday's first leg at homerepresents a chance for Giampiero Ventrua's sideto distinguish themselves once more, and defender Cesare Bovowill not be taking the Swedish outfit lightly.
"We have been working for a month just to overcome this hurdle, we want to go through at any cost," he told UEFA.com.
"We know that our opponents play with a high tempo and intensity, but we want to do well, we are self-confident and we won't underestimate them."
Ventura has confirmed that he is likely to be without Alessio Cerci and Matteo Darmian for the clash, with both having only just returned to training aftertheir World Cup exploits with Italy.
Meanwhile, the third qualifyinground alsosees other big names enter the competition, with Dutch giants and 1978 winnersPSV hosting St Polten of Austria, while 2010 UEFA Champions League semi-finalists Lyon will visit Mlada Boleslav of the Czech Republic.
Real Sociedad - recently shorn of star striker Antoine Griezmann, who has joined Atletico Madrid- faceScottish sideAberdeen and two-time championsGothenburgare also still involved, with the Swedish outfit taking on Portugal's Rio Ave.
Rosenborg, former Champions League quarter-finalists, travel to Turkey to faceKarabukspor, andBrondby visit Club Brugge.
Steve Bruce's Hull City, FA Cup runners-up in May, begin their European adventure in Slovakia against Trencin, with the Premier League side sweating on the fitness ofAlex Bruce (Achilles), Curtis Davies (hamstring) andDavid Meyler (knee).
"We hope that they are going to be involved," said the Hull boss. "They are all a concern at this moment as it is only a few days away and it is a European tie."
Hull will be wary of an upset on their travels, and thereare similarly awkward away legs for AIK, Slovan Liberec, Esbjerg and Viktoria Plzen - who face Astana of Kazakhstan, Astra of Romania, Ruch Chorzow of Poland and another Romanian side,Petrolul Ploiesti, respectively.
Mainz, who finished seventh in the Bundesliga last season, play host to Asteras Tripolis from Greeceand Scottish side St Johnstone, who needed penalties to see off Luzern in round two, take on Spartak Trnava.
Home advantage could well prove crucial whenSplit hostChornomorets,Diosgyorwelcome Krasnodar,Omonia Nicosia take on Metalurg, Stjarnan of Iceland face Lech Poznan andZorya of Ukraine prepare to meet Molde.
Sarajevo are in action against Greek side Atromitos whileDinamo Moscow face Hapoel Kiryat Shmona,Young Boys welcomeErmis to SwitzerlandandHafnarfjordur travel toElfsborg.
ZulteWaregem of Belgium made it to the group stages last year, and they will aim to continue their progress when they face Shakhtyor of Belarus.
Elsewhere,Grodig of Austria take on Zimbru after a 5-2 aggregate success over Cukaricki in round two, while Faroese sideVikingur - unbeaten in their last six games in all competitions - face a tough test against Rijeka.
ShakhterKaragandy of Kazakhstan finished bottom of Group L in last year's competition, and their bid to go better in 2014-15 continues at home to Hadjuk Split.
DinamoMinsk take on CFR Cluj in their first-leg clash, with Neftci at home to Chikhura of Georgia.
news_articleTue, 29 Jul 2014 16:01:35 +0000220936 at http://www.fourfourtwo.comUEFA Europa League Wrap: Rosenborg fight backRosenborg staged an impressive recovery to beat Sligo Rovers 3-1 and advance to the UEFA Europa League third qualifying round.http://www.fourfourtwo.com/news/uefa-europa-league-review-rosenborg-complete-comeback-see-sligo
Trailing 2-1 from the first leg in Norway, the formerUEFA Champions League quarter-finalists fell further behind to Danny North's 13th-minute opener.
That left the visitors needing three unanswered goals to progress, the first of which arrived just three minutes later through Pal Helland andasecond-half brace from Mike Jensen saw the Norwegian outfit advance to a tie with Karabukspor in the nextround.
Elfsborg's 1-0 win at Inter Baku forced a penalty shoot-out, won 4-3 by the Swedish outfit, while Georgian side Chikuraalso prevailed on spot-kicks after a goalless draw with Bursaspor.
Krasnodar's 5-0 thumping of Sillamae Kalev completed a 9-0 aggregate rout, andShakhtyor's 5-1 win over Derry City also saw them through in comfortable fashion.
Trencin almost threw away a 4-0 first-leg advantage against Vojvodina, losing 3-0 in Serbia to squeeze through to a clash with Hull City, but there were no such problems forBrommapojkarna, who drew 1-1 with Crusaders to progress 5-1 and set up a meeting with Torino.
Goalless draws were good enough for the likes ofDinamo Minsk, Omonia Nicosia, Ruch Chorzow andSplit to make it through, while CSKA Sofia's stalemate with Zimbru saw them crash out on away goals after a 1-1 draw in Bulgaria in the first leg.
It was a mixed night for Scottish clubs, as St Johnstone and Aberdeen progressed but Motherwellcrashed out to Stjarnan.
St Johnstone needed penalties to see off Luzernafter a 1-1 draw at McDiarmid Park, while Aberdeen will now face Real Sociedadfollowing a 2-1 success away at Groningen.
Motherwell could not complete a hat-trick of wins, however, losing out 3-2 after extra-timein Iceland asStjarnan advanced 5-4 on aggregate.
Hajduk Split survived a late fightback to see off Dundalk 3-2 on aggregate, while Gothenburg progressed despite a 1-0 loss on the night to Gyori thanks to their three-goal advantage from the first leg.
MladaBoleslav booked a third-round tie with Lyon courtesy of a devastating 4-0 win at SirokiBrijegand PSV await St Polten, who won 2-0 to beat Botev Plovdiv 3-2 overall.
There were comfortable passages for ShakhterKaragandy, Molde, Zorya, Grodig, Slovan Liberec and Astana but Neftci, Sarajevo and AIK allhad to overturn first-leg deficitsagainst Koper, Haugesund and Linfield respectively.
Lech Poznan were another to come from behind and qualify, triumphing 3-0 at home to Nomme Kalju after a 1-0 first-leg reverse, and Spartak Trnava's 3-0 win saw them ease past Zestafoni.
AsterasTripolis overcame RoPS courtesy of a 4-2 home win, while PetrolulPloiesti's 3-1 success saw them secure a 5-1 aggregate scoreline against FlamurtariVlore.
Elsewhere, Esbjerg, Cluj, Diosgyor, Vikingur, Zulte-Waregem, Metalurg Skopje, Rijekaand FHalso progressed to the next stage.
news_articleThu, 24 Jul 2014 22:00:25 +0000218230 at http://www.fourfourtwo.comUEFA Europa League: Sligo, Baku out to finish upsetsSligo Rovers and Inter Baku will look to convert first-leg shocks to progression from the UEFA Europa league second qualifying round.http://www.fourfourtwo.com/news/uefa-europa-league-preview-sligo-inter-baku-out-finish-shocks
Sligo pulled off the resultof the round last week,beating former UEFA Champions League quarter-finalistsRosenborg 2-1 atLerkendal Stadion - a result that cost Rosenborg boss Per Joar Hansen his job.
Alan Keane and Danny North put the Irish side two away goals to the good, though goalkeeper Gary Rogers' late own-goal means they will have to focus at The Showgrounds, something manager John Coleman isaware of.
"It's only half a job and I've hammered that home to the players," he said after the game.
"We're disappointed that we conceded a goal and disappointed that we didn't take a couple of chances after that, but they're a good side and we're certainly not going to be underestimating them."
Completing a theme of Irish success were Linfield, who travel to Sweden after a 1-0 win over AIK.
Inter, meanwhile,emerged 1-0 victors against Svenska Cupen holders Elfsborg last week and will have confidence in progressing, havinglost just one of their last 16 games at home -keeping clean sheets in four of their last six.
Those drawn with the bigger names to come in the third round will be hoping for a glamour tie.
Brommapojkarna looknailed on to meet Serie A club Torino as they hold a 4-0 lead over Crusaders, while Trencin can also think about a clash with English FA Cup finalists Hull City after beating Vojvodina by the same scoreline last week.
Botev Plovdiv and Mlada Boleslav will be hoping to seal meetings with PSV and Lyon after 2-1 first-leg wins over Siroki Brijeg and St Polten respectively.
Real Sociedad await the winner between Aberdeen and Groningen, with Mainz eyeing RoPs and Asteras Tripolis' clash in Greece - both gamespoised after draws.
Astana,Zorya, Dinamo Minsk, IFK Gothenburg, Krasnodar, Molde and Grodig are others who can look ahead after dominant first-leg victories - all hold at least a three-goal advantage.
CSKA Sofia and Motherwell will hope conceding away goals in first-leg draws does not costthem against supposedly beatable opposition in the shape of Zimbru and Stjarnan.
Other highly rankedoutfits Cluj, Tromso and Bursaspor were unable to break down weaker opposition and willlook to assert their dominance overJagodina, Vikingur and Chikura after 0-0 draws.
Esbjerg and Slovan Liberec both reached the knockout rounds of last year's competition. The Danes drew 1-1 with Kairat in Kazakhstan last week, but Slovan return home after beating Kosice 1-0 away.
Omonia Nicosia, Petrolul Ploiesti, Diosgyor and Hajduk Split hold two-goal leads heading into their second legs, but things are tighter for Ruch Chorzow, Zulte-Waregem and Split who are all aheadbut conceded away goals to Vaduz, Zawisza Bydgoszcz and Hapoel Be'er Sheva.
Koper, Shakhtyor and Haugesund will look to back-up narrow away wins, while Nomme Kajlu andRijeka head to Lech Poznan and Ferenvaros protecting 1-0 leads.
Atlantas host Shakhter Karagandy, Zestafoni welcome Spartak Trnava and Metalurg Skopje go to Zeljeznicar after goalless first legs, but St Johnstone and FH will hope an away goal can swing things in their favour after 1-1 first-legs at Luzern and Neman Grodno.
news_articleMon, 21 Jul 2014 12:44:10 +0000216074 at http://www.fourfourtwo.comUEFA Europa League Wrap: Sligo shock RosenborgRosenborgs hopes of qualification took a blow after a shock 2-1 home defeat to Sligo Rovers in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday.http://www.fourfourtwo.com/news/uefa-europa-league-review-sligo-shock-rosenborg-krasnodar-cruise
The 22-time champions of Norway had home advantage in the second-round qualifying tie at the Lerkendal Stadion.
However, they will travel to Ireland needing to overturn the one-goal deficit, as second-half goals from Alan Keane and Danny North put the visitors in control.
Mikkel Diskerud offered hope of a late comeback when he struck nine minutes from time, but it proved in vain as Sligo held on for a precious win.
Koper were also 2-1 victors on their visit to Neftci, while the likes of Botev Plovdiv, Mlada Boleslav, Split and Zulte Waregem still have to work to do after winning by the same scoreline at home.
IFK Gothenburg have won Europe's secondary club competition on two occasions in 1982 and 1987, and the Swedish outfit look destined for the next round after a 3-0 win at Gyori ETO.
Lasse Vibe got the visitors off to a flying start in the eighth minute and Jakob Johansson and May Mahlangu added furth goals in the second half.
Fellow Swedish sides Brommapojkarna and Elfsborg had differing fortunes. The former routed Crusaders 4-0, while the latter were beaten 1-0 at home by Inter Baku.
Russian Premier League outfit Krasnodar are virtually assured a spot in the third round of qualifying thanks for a 4-0 win at Sillamae Kalev.
Ari, Yury Gazinskiy, Wanderson and Vladimir Bystrov were all on the scoresheet in the comfortable win.
Grodig too won 4-0 on their travels at Cukaricki,and Trencin secured the same score at home to Vojvodina. Molde put one foot in the next round thanks to a 4-1 home success over Gorica.
Kazakh outfit Astana should progress after a 3-0 home win over Hapoel Tel Aviv, while Belarus side Dinamo Minsk beat MYPA by the same score. Zorya won3-0 on their visit to Laci.
The matches between Kairat and Esbjerg, RoPS and Asteras Tripolis, CSKA Sofia and Zimbru, Luzern and St. Johnstone and Neman Grodno and FH are all nicely poised after finishing 1-1.
Shakhter Karagandy, Spartak Trnava and Tromso played out stalemates on their visits to Atlantas, Zestafoni and Vikingur, while Jagodina took a valuable 0-0 draw away from CFR Cluj.
There were no goals in the matches involving Bursaspor and Chikhura Sheva, Aberdeen and Groningen, orMetalurg Skopje andZeljeznicar.
Omonia Nicosia and Diosgyor take 2-0 leads back to their respective home legs with Buducnost and Lovech. Petrolul Ploiesti scored twice in the last 13 minutes to win 2-0 at home to Flamurtari Vlore.
Dundalk face a tricky task after losing 2-0 at home to Hajduk Split, while Motherwell surrendered a two-goal lead in a 2-2 draw at home to Stjarnan.
One goal was all that was needed for Slovan Liberec to win on their visit at Kosice, while Nomme Kalju were 1-0 victors at home to Lech Poznan. Ruch Chorzow also have a one-goal cushion ahead of the second leg following an entertaining 3-2 triumph over Vaduz.
Linfield and Rijeka triumphed 1-0 in their home ties, as did Shakhtyor and Haugesund on their visits to Derry City and Sarajevo.
news_articleThu, 17 Jul 2014 21:29:57 +0000214099 at http://www.fourfourtwo.comUEFA Europa League: Gothenburg face GyoriFormer European heavyweights IFK Gothenburg continue their quest to reach this seasons UEFA Europa League group stage at Gyori on Thursday.http://www.fourfourtwo.com/news/uefa-europa-league-preview-gothenburg-continue-group-stage-quest
The Swedish side lifted European football's second-tiertrophy back in 1982 and again in 1987 under its former guise oftheUEFA Cup, but their ambitions for this year's tournament are likely to bemuch smaller as they approach the first leg of theirsecond-qualifying-roundclash in Hungary.
Mikael Stahre's men were third in the Allsvenskan last season, but currently sit a disappointing sixth after 14 games this term andwill likely need to improve after only defeating Luxembourg'sFola Esch 2-0 on aggregate in the previous round.
Gothenburg will not be the only Swedish team aimingto try andseal a place in the third qualifying round, with Elfsborg, AIK and Brommapojkarna taking on Inter Baku, Linfield and Crusaders respectively.
Rosenborg were surprisingly eliminated at the same stage last season, losing out to Scottish sideSt Johnstone, and they will hope to avoid a repeat against Ireland's Sligo Rovers.
Swiss side Luzern are the opponents on this occasion for St Johnstone, who are one of three Scottish teams competing in the Europa League.
Motherwell meet Icelandic side Stjarnan, while Aberdeen face a tricky test against Eredivisie play-off winners Groningen in what shouldbe one of the standoutties of the round.
Norwegian's Tromso were the big winners of the first qualifying round, hammering Tartu Santos of Estonia 13-1, and they will be looking for more of the sameagainst Faroese outfit Vikingur.
Tippeligaen leaders Moldemeet Gorica of Slovenia, while Norwegian compatriots Haugesund will need to overcome Sarajevo.
Zulte-Waregem and Shakhter Karagandy take on Zawisza Bydgoszcz and Atlantas respectively as they both aim to feature in the group stage for a second straight year.
Lech Poznan, last-32participants in 2011, will be favourites against Estonia's Nomme Kalju, and their Polish compatriots Ruch Chorzow should be hopeful of progress against Vaduz ofLiechtenstein.
Romanian's Cluj make their return to European football after a year-long absence against Jagodina, while Petrolul Ploiesti face Flamurtari Vlore as they bid to go better than last season's run to the final play-off round.
Zimbru will require a fine performance in order to knock-out CSKA Sofia of Bulgaria, and Chikhura are also likely to be up against it in their tie with Bursaspor.
Kazakhstani sides Astana and Kairat meet Hapoel Tel Aviv and Esbjerg, the latter of whomreached the last 32 in 2013-14.
Finnish teams RoPS and MYPA are pitted against Asteras Tripolis and Dinamo Misnk, whose fellow Belarusians Neman Grodno and Shakhtyor will need to overcome FH and Derry City.
Kosice face Slovan Liberec, Laci meet Zorya and Neftci take on Koper, while the games between Omonia Nicosia and Buducnost, Vojvodina and Trencin, Zestafoni and Spartak Trnava and St Polten and Botev Plovidiv should all be hotly contested.
Meanwhile, Sillamae Kalev host Krasnodar, Rijeka welcome Ferencvaros, Hajduk Split travel to Dundalk and the Croatian side'scity rivals RNK Split meet Hapoel Be'er Sheva of Israel.
Elsewhere, there are clashes betweenSiroki BrijegandMladaBoleslav, Diosgyor andLitex Lovech, Metalurg Skopjeand Zeljeznicar, whileCukaricki hostGrodig.
news_articleTue, 15 Jul 2014 09:12:40 +0000212490 at http://www.fourfourtwo.comUEFA Europa League Wrap: Gothenburg leave it lateIFK Gothenburg avoided a UEFA Europa League shock by winning 2-0 at Fola Esch in the second leg of their first round qualifier.http://www.fourfourtwo.com/news/uefa-europa-league-review-gothenburg-leave-it-late-sillamae-stun-honka
The Swedish side were surprisingly held to a goalless draw by the Luxembourg outfit in the first leg and they left it late to progress at Stade Josy Barthel on Thursday.
Extra time was looming until Danish striker Lasse Vibe broke the deadlock 14 minutes from time and May Mahlangu eased the two-time UEFA Cup winners' nerves with a second goal nine minutes from time.
Mikael Stahre's men breathed a sigh of relief after making hard work of progressing and now face Gyori ETO in the second qualifying round.
Adam Rooney scored the first hat-trick of the competition as Aberdeen beat FK Daugava Riga 3-0 to seal an emphatic 8-0 aggregate victory and set up a clash with Eredivisie side FC Groningen.
The striker also becamethe first Aberdeen player in 30 years to score a treble in European competition, with Scotland assistant manager Mark McGhee the last player to achieve that feat.
There was late drama at theISS Stadion inVantaa, where hosts Honka were left stunned asJK Sillamae Kalev scored in the last minute of extra time to put the visitors from Estonia through on away goals after losing 3-2 on the night.
Sillamae led 2-1 afterthe first leg and increased their advantage whenAndreiSidorenkov put them in front on the night, butIlari Aijala equalised on the stroke of half-time and KevinMombilo struck right at the death to force extratime.
RoniPorokara put the home side in front and the fightback looked to be complete untilEvgeni Kabaev had the final say in the last minute of extra time.
It was not only the Finnish side who suffered late heartbreak, asMaksimMaksimov struck with just a minute remaining to ensureAtlantas beatDifferdange 03 3-1 to secure a 3-2 aggregate victory.
Luxembourg outfit Differdange led 1-0 from the first leg, butMehdi Martin's red card after only 19 minutes left them up against it in the second leg afterKazimierasGnedojus had levelled the tie.
MariusPapsys' penalty put the home side in front on aggregate, butDifferdange refused to lie down andJean-PhilippeCaillet levelled the tie nine minutes from time, only for Maksimov to settle it right at the death.
KF Laci held their nerve to beatRudar Velenje 3-2 on penalties after the two sides had played out another 1-1 draw, while the tie betweenLitex Lovech andVeris was postponed due to a waterlogged pitch.
Ferencvaros overcame a first-leg deficit to beatSliema Wanderers 2-1 - and 3-2 on aggregate - while Rosenborg,Shakhter Karagandy, Astana, RNK Split,Víkingur Gota andBuducnost Podgorica also progressed.
Crusaders also went through on Thursday, along withZeljeznicar Sarajevo,Chikhura Sachkhere,FK Haugesund, Inter Baku,Nomme Kalju,Cukaricki,Zimbru Chisinau andFlamurtari Vlore.
IF Brommapojkarna can also look forward to a second round qualifying clash, as can Tromso,who hammeredTartu FC Santos 13-1 on aggregate,Diosgyori VTK,Kairat Almat, Spartak Trnava, Dery City and UMF Stjarnan.
FC Vaduz's European adventure will continue, whileMYPA,Sligo Rovers, Botev Plovdiv, Luka Koper,NK Siroki Brijeg, Dundalk,FH Hafnarfjordur andMetalurg Skopje live to fight another day.
news_articleThu, 10 Jul 2014 22:17:40 +0000210269 at http://www.fourfourtwo.comUEFA Europa League: Gothenburg on edgeTwo-time competition winners IFK Gothenburg visit Fola Esch hoping to avoid a surprise UEFA Europa League elimination on Thursday.http://www.fourfourtwo.com/news/uefa-europa-league-preview-ifk-gothenburg-danger-early-exit
Gothenburg - winners of the then-UEFA Cup in 1982 and 1987 - were held to a goalless draw in last week's opening leg of the first-round qualifier.
And that has heaped the pressure on Mikael Stahre's men, who travel to Luxembourg needing a positive result.
Tromso should have no such worries after hammering Estonia's Tartu Santos 7-0 on the road in their first leg.
Another side from Norway - Rosenborg - won well last week, as a 4-0 triumph against Latvia's Jelgava gives them one foot in the second round, despite the upcoming away trip.
Aberdeen will also hit the road in good spirits. They beat Daugava Riga 5-0 in last week's first leg at Pittodrie.
There was treble joy for Kazakhstan in the first legs, and Astana, Shakhter Karagandy and Kairat all hold the advantage heading into return clashes against Pyunik, Shirak and Kukesi.
Koper are another side virtually in the second round already. They host Celik with a 5-0 lead already in the bag.
Cukaricki, Stjarnan and Botev Plovdiv will be buoyant with 4-0 leads against Sant Julia, Bangor City and Libertas respectively, while FH are three goals to the good against Glenavon, as are Metalurg Skopje when they meet Moldova's Santa Coloma, and Vaduz over Gibraltan side College Europa.
Northern Irish sides also completed a hat-trick of wins last week.
Crusaders beat Ekranas of Lithuania 3-1 to give themselves a healthy lead while Derry City will prepare for their trip to Aberystwyth Town positive of progression. They won 4-0 in the first leg.
But Linfield may not be as confident, with Michael Carvill's late strike needed to give them all three points in a 2-1 win against B36 of the Faroe Islands.
Siroki Brijeg, Spartak Trnava, RNK Split and Dundalk all hold two-goal leads and should progress.
Skendija 79, Sillamae Kalev, VPS, Vikingur, Buducnost and Diosgyor all head into their second legs - against Zimbru, Honka, Brommapojkarna, Daugava Daugavpils, Folgore/Falciano and Birkirkara respectively - leading 2-1.
A further six sides hold one-goal advantages, with MYPA joined by Chikhura, Inter Baku, Flamurtati Vlore, Differdange and Nomme Kalju in holding slender leads.
Three ties are firmly in the balance after goalless first legs, with Veris and Litex Lovech, Banga and Sligo Rovers, and Lovcen and Zeljeznicar all hoping to find the back of the net.
Other sides who were unable to be separated were Sliema Wanderers and Ferencvaros, Airbus UK and Haugesund, and Laci and Rudar, setting up exciting second-leg clashes.
news_articleSun, 06 Jul 2014 19:41:28 +0000207751 at http://www.fourfourtwo.comUEFA Europa League: Seven goal romp for TromsoTromso effectively sealed their place in the second qualifying round of the UEFA Europa League with a 7-0 hammering of Tartu Santos.http://www.fourfourtwo.com/news/uefa-europa-league-review-magnificent-seven-tromso
The Norwegian side produced a superb performance in the first leg to all but secure progress,midifielder Magnus Andersen hitting a brace in a dominant win.
Rosenborg continued the theme of emphatic Norwegian success, Alexander Soderlund scoring twice, including one from the spot, in a 4-0 victory against Jelgava of Latvia.
Fellow Scandinavians, and two-time competition winners, IFK Gothenburg will travel to Luxembourg under pressure next week after stumbling to a 0-0 draw with Fola Esch.
Botev Plovdiv were also 4-0 winners over San Marino's Libertas, and Gilman Lika's injury-time strike gave Flamurtari Vlore a 3-2 triumph at Sioni.
Tiraspol's late comeback fell short as the Moldovans lost 3-2 at home to Inter Baku, whose Azerbaijani rivals Qabala face an uphill battle in their away leg after a 2-0 reverse to Siroki Brijeg.
Slovenian side Koper took a commanding lead in their tie with 10-manCelik, Miroslav Covilo's double helping them to a 5-0 triumph.
There was treble joyfor Kazakhstanon Thursday, Astana winning 4-1 at Pyunik,Shakhter Karagandy beating Shirak 2-1 and Kairatearning a slender 1-0 success over Kukesi.
Metalurg Skopje were 3-0 victors over Santa Coloma of Moldova, however, their Macedonian compatriots Turnovo were defeated 1-0 by Chikhura.
Scottish side Aberdeen are in control of their tie with Daugava Riga following a 5-0 home win in which the Latvians were reduced to nine men.
It was a good night for Northern Irish sides as attacker Michael Carvill's 88th minute strike gave Linfield a 2-1 win at B36 in the Faroe Islands.
Crusaders backed up that resultby beating Ekranas of Lithuania 3-1, and Derry City were 4-0 winners in an all-British affair with Aberystwyth Town, who had goalkeeper Mike Lewis sent off after 23 minutes.
Airbus UK Broughton fared better in a 1-1 draw with Haugesund of Norway, however,Bangor City were thrashed 4-0 by Iceland's Stjarnan.
Finnish outfit VPS emerged as 2-1 winners in all-Scandinavian clash with Brommapojkarna of Sweden, while their league rivals MYPA beat IF of the Faroe Islands 1-0 thanks to Denis Abdulahi's strike.
But there was no such fortune for fellow Finns Honka, who lost 2-1 to Sillamae Kalev of Estonia.
Erik Sabo's brace proved key as Spartak Trnava won 4-2 at Hibernians.
​SloveniansRudar drew 1-1with Laci of Albania, but Andorra's Sant Julia have a mountain to climb if they are to qualify after losing 4-0 in Serbia to Cukaricki.
Mika are also in danger of going out following a 2-0 loss to RNK Split, but Nomme Kalju of Estonia travel back from Iceland with the advantage, overcoming Fram 1-0.
There was drama in another game in Iceland as FH scored three late goals, with two from Atli Gudnason, to beat Glenavon 3-0.
Vikingur were the only Faroe side to experience triumph, Andreas Olsen scoring the winner in a 2-1 defeat of Latvia's Daugava Daugavpils.
Meanwhile, Differdange, Vaduz, Buducnost and Diosgyor all claimed first-leg successes.
Elsewhere, there were goalless draws in the games between Veris and Litex Lovech, Banga and Sligo Roversand Lovcen's trip toZeljeznicar.
news_articleThu, 03 Jul 2014 21:55:17 +0000206068 at http://www.fourfourtwo.comUEFA Europa League: Gothenburg begin questTwo-time winners Gothenburg begin their UEFA Europa League campaign at the first qualifying stage against Fola Esch on Thursday.http://www.fourfourtwo.com/news/uefa-europa-league-preview-gothenburg-begin-adventure-against-fola-esch-rosenborg-face-jelgava
With 39 ties in the opening round of this season's competition, the Swedish side are one of 78 sides looking to progress into round two andharbouring dreams of taking their place in the main draw.
After a third-place finish in the Allsvenskan last season, Gothenburg, who won the competition in its former guise asthe UEFA Cup in 1982 and 1987, have been handed what appears to be afavourabledrawagainst their opponents from Luxembourg.
However, they will be wary of defeat having lost in the secondqualifying round to Trencin from Slovakia last year to extend their absence from the first round proper to 15 years.
Facing Swedish opponents isnot something new for Fola Esch, though, having previously faced, and lostto, Elfsborg in this round of the competition in 2011.
Another Scandinavian powerhouse, Rosenborg, enter the competition having enjoyed regular European football in the last decade, including making the group stages of the UEFA Champions League in 2007-08.
The Norwegian side were runners-up in the Tippeligaen last season to qualify for the competition, and coach Per Joar Hansen will be looking to repeat the group-stage appearance of two seasons ago.
Latvian Cup winners Jelgava are their opponents in the opening round, and they will be hoping to avoid a second exit at the hands of Norwegian opposition.
Four years ago, Jelgava made the second qualifying roundand were drawn against Molde, but the Latvians were unable to progress and will be hoping for a better outcome to their sixth European campaign.
Derek McInnes leads Aberdeen into their first continental match since 2009 against Daugava Riga, the former Cup Winners Cup holders looking to build on a productive domestic season that saw them finish third in the Scottish top flight.
Ferencvaros, who have won the Hungarian League 28times in their history, prepare for their first European clash in threeyears againstSliema Wanderers ofMalta, while College Europa are the first Gibraltan team to enter the competition.
Vaduz are their opponents inwhat will be a momentous occasion for the newestmember nation of UEFA.
Tromso and Shakhter Karagandy, who reached the group stages last year, will be brought back down to earth as they start a new campaign at the very beginning.
Tromso face the Estonian Cup runners-upTartu Santos from the thirddivision, while Shakhter entertain FC Shirak from Armenia.
news_articleSun, 29 Jun 2014 14:33:54 +0000203184 at http://www.fourfourtwo.comUEFA Europa League Wrap: PSV out, Spurs run riotPSV Eindhoven were the headline casualty in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday as they were sent crashing out at the group stage.http://www.fourfourtwo.com/news/uefa-europa-league-wrap-psv-crash-out-tottenham-run-riot
The Dutch side had been expected to qualify with ease through Group B when the draw pitted them against Ludogorets, Chornomorets and Dinamo Zagreb.
But their European adventure ended in embarrassing fashion, as a 1-0 defeat in their winner-take-all encounter to a 10-man Chornomorets outfit at the Philips Stadion sealed their fate.
Striker Dja Djedje's goal just before the hour proved their undoing, as he headed home Sito Riera's cross to send the Ukrainian club into the knockout phase.
And the visitors could even afford to play the final three minutes a man down after Riera was sent off for violent conduct, leaving PSV facing up to an eighth defeat in 12 games in all competitions that piles yet more pressure on under-fire boss Phillip Cocu.
In the other Group B game, Dinamo's winless campaign finished with a 2-1 defeat to Ludogorets, while over in Group A, Swansea City lost 1-0 at Saint Gallen but still advanced to the last 32.
Marco Mathys' strike 10 minutes from time gave the Swiss side their second win of the group stage, but Kuban Krasnodar's 1-1 draw with group winners Valencia meant that it mattered little.
British rivals Wigan Athletic were not as fortunate as Swansea, with two goals in 16 minutes either side of the break from Dejan Mezga and Zeljko Filipovic earning Maribor a come-from-behind 2-1 win and progression as Group D runners-up.
Neither team were able to catch Rubin Kazan at the start of the night, but the Russians did Maribor a favour by beating Zulte-Waregem 2-0.
The battle for top spot in Group E went the way of Fiorentina - the Italians winning 2-1 against nearest rivals Dnipro - while a 0-0 draw between Pandurii Targu Jiu and Pacos de Ferreira in Romania was meaningless.
Salzburg progressed as the winners of Group C courtesy of a 3-0 victory against second-placed Esbjerg, with Standard Liege losing 3-1 at home to Elfsborg.
Group F saw Maccabi Tel Aviv qualify with a 1-0 win against Bordeaux, while Frankfurt prepared for the knockout stages in style by beating APOEL 2-0.
A Roberto Soldado hat-trick made it six wins out of six for Tottenham in Group K as they beat Anzhi Makhachkala 4-1, with Lewis Holtby scoring in between with a clever left-footed finish to assert the Premier League side's dominance over the second-placed Russians.
Sheriff Tiraspol beat Tromso 2-0 in the other game in that pool, while elsewhere there were wins for Legia Warsaw - 2-0 against Apollon - and Maccabi Haifa - 2-1 against Shakhter Karagandy - as well as a 2-2 draw between already qualified PAOK and AZ, and a goalless stalemate between Lazio and Trabzonspor.
Lyon's 2-1 win over Vitoria Guimaraes combined with Real Betis' 0-0 draw against Rijeka gave the French side top spot in Group I, while Sevilla ended the night on top of Group H thanks to goals at the end of each half from Vicente Iborra and Raul Rusescu as they beat Freiburg 2-0.
The other game in that pool saw Slovan Liberec edge Estoril 2-1, sending the Czechs through, while Genk won 1-0 at Thun and Dynamo Kiev came from one down to beat Rapid Vienna 3-1 in Group G, taking their place in the last 32 at the expense of the Austrians.
news_articleThu, 12 Dec 2013 23:33:40 +000093437 at http://www.fourfourtwo.comUEFA Europa League Wrap: Quartet clinch top spotsTottenham, Genk, Valencia and Rubin Kazan were among the sides to clinch their UEFA Europa League groups on Thursday.http://www.fourfourtwo.com/news/uefa-europa-league-wrap-tottenham-genk-valencia-rubin-kazan-win-groups
The Premier League side were 2-0 winners against Tromso in Norway but were assured of top spot in Group K before the final whistle at the Alfheim Stadion following runners-up Anzhi Makhachkala's 1-1 draw with Sheriff.
Rubin are guaranteed a place in the knockout stage for a second successive season after a 1-1 draw with Maribor maintained their unbeaten record in Group D, while Genk's win over Dynamo Kiev in Group G put them clear at the top.
Dynamo will need to avoid defeat against Rapid Vienna in the final game to move into the next round.
Zulte Waregem's 2-1 triumph against Wigan Athletic at the DW Stadium made them favourites to join Rubin in progressing from Group D, but the Championship side and Maribor remain in with a shout.
Valencia made it four wins from four Europa League matches against Swansea City to win Group A and leave second place up for grabs, with Kuban Krasnodar's 4-0 win over St Gallen boosting their hopes.
The qualification scenarios in groups I and J have been decided after the penultimate round of fixtures, with the former seeing Lyon and Real Betis go through following a 1-0 victory for the French side against Pepe Mel's men.
In Group J, Trabzonspor and Lazio booked their progression after victories over Apollon and Legia Warsaw respectively, while already qualified Salzburg and Esbjerg continued their dominance of Group C with 1-0 and 2-1 wins against Elfsborg and Standard Liege respectively.
Ten-man PSV lost 2-0 to Group B winners Ludogorets, meaning their qualification hopes will go down to the wire, as will those of Maccabi Tel Aviv, who drew 0-0 with Apoel Nicosia, although Group F rivals Eintracht Frankfurt are safely through after beating Bordeaux 1-0 thanks to a late Martin Lanig goal.
Fiorentina dropped points for the first time in Group E, drawing 0-0 against Pacos de Ferreira, whileDnipro Dnipropetrovsk moved to within a point of the Italian side after beatingPandurii Targu Jiu 4-1 thanks to goals from four different scorers.
The fight for top spot in Group L is between AZ and PAOK with the pair recording wins over Maccabi Haifa and Shakhter Karagandy respectively. Unbeaten Sevilla are into the next round also, with Slovan Liberec and Freiburg left to battle it out for qualification from Group H.
news_articleThu, 28 Nov 2013 23:02:11 +000088907 at http://www.fourfourtwo.comUEFA Europa League: Swansea, Betis eye last 32The line-up for the UEFA Europa League round of 32 is likely to be all but confirmed on Thursday.http://www.fourfourtwo.com/news/uefa-europa-league-preview-swansea-betis-among-qualification-hopefuls
Swansea City host Valencia in one of the headline fixtures. The Spanish club are already assured of their place in the next round, but could be leapfrogged at the top of Group A by Michael Laudrup's men if the team from Wales take maximum points.
Swansea will be confident of doing so after the reverse fixture on matchday one ended in a surprise 3-0 win for the visitors, with Wilfried Bony, Michu and Jonathan de Guzman scoring the goals.
However, St Gallen and Kuban Krasnodar have not given up hope of progressing and the winner of their tie will be hoping for a Swansea defeat to keep their slim chances alive.
A draw between the third- and fourth-placed clubs would send Swansea through regardless.
Group I sees another clash between two sides who will be hopeful sealing their progression, with Lyon welcoming Real Betis to Stade de Gerland.
The La Liga outfit can qualify with a win, while both will go through if Lyon emerge victorious and Vitoria Guimaraes lose their clash with basement club Rijeka.
In Group F, Eintracht Frankfurt and Maccabi Tel Aviv face trips to Bordeaux and APOEL respectively, knowing wins would guarantee a place in the next stage.
There is a similar scenario in Group H, though Sevilla and Slovan Liberec will enjoy home advantage as they seek to ensure qualification against Freiburg and Estoril respectively.
Anzhi will look to put their dismal domestic campaign to one side as they go in search of a last-32 spot, and a point against Sheriff would be enough to see them through in Group K.
Tottenham have won all four of their matches so far and can guarantee top spot with a win against the already-eliminated Tromso of Norway.
Trabzonspor require just a draw at home to Apollon in Group J, while Lazio can also progress by defeating Legia Warsaw, who have yet to pick up a point in this year's competition.
In Group B, PSV Eindhoven must better the result of Chornomorets Odesa to make sure of their place in the knockout stages.
PSV travel to Ludogorets Razgrad, who have qualified, while Chornomorets are at home to already eliminated Dinamo Zagreb.
PAOK and AZ currently occupy the top two spaces in Group L, and require just a point apiece against Shakhter Karagandy and Maccabi Haifa respectively.
The winner of the clash between Genk and Dynamo Kiev will be guaranteed to emerge from Group G, while the loser of Rapid Vienna against Thun will be eliminated from the competition.
Wigan Athletic and Zulte Waregem meet at the DW Stadium and the former would qualify from Group D with a win should Maribor fail to defeat Rubin Kazan, who are through.
Qualification has already been resolved in Group C, where leaders Red Bull Salzburg head to Elfsborg with the chance to become the first club to win all six games in a Europa League group stage twice, and second-placed Esbjerg host Standard Liege.
The qualifiers from Group E have also been determined, though Fiorentina could seal first place if they extend their lead over Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk. The Italians take on Pacos de Ferreira in Portugal, while the Ukrainians welcome Pandurii Targu Jiu.
news_articleMon, 25 Nov 2013 22:51:04 +000087868 at http://www.fourfourtwo.com